Carton for granular material



Jun 13, 1939.

y E. E. `slEFER-r CARTON FOR GRANULAR MATERIAL Filed Jan. 28, 1958 `2 sheets-she@ 1 ATTO N EY June 13, [1;- E SIEFERT 2,162,286

CARTON FOR GRANULAR MATERIAL Filed Jan. 28, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR AT ORNEY Patented June 13, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE 9 Claims.

This invention relates t cartons adapted to hold such staples and cereals as coffee, sugar. flour, etc., and particularly my invention has reference to a carton made of a single piece of 5 flat material and folded into shape such that it may contain at least one pound of material. The main part of my device is composed of a flat piece of cardboard, stiff paper, etc., and the other part, which is the tray, is also composed of a single piece of flat material adapted to be folded or applied in such manner as to close the bottom of the carton, and also adapted to cooperate with a drawer or slide and to be manipulated so as to dispense the contents of the carton and drawer which may be automatically fed or gravitally fed from the carton into the tray and from thence into the drawer and from which it can be delivered in predetermined quantities. The drawer is made of flat material and may be so combined as to slide or slip beneath the tray and be limited in its movement with reference t the tray by projections made integral with the tray.

Among the objects of my invention may be noted the following: v

To provide a carton of a single piece of flat material folded into any desired form, but particularly folded into angular form, certain parts of which are glued together; to provide a tray of a single piece of material which may be so formed as to be snugly set within the bottom of the carton to close the latter and which will act as a receptacle for the contents of the carton, and which will receive the drawer so that the latter may move relatively thereto; to provide a drawer or slide made of pieces of material so formed as to render it stable, strong and capable of standing the wear and tear of drawing it in and out in the delivery of the contents of the carton which fall therefrom into and throughv the tray to the aperture in the drawer; and to provide a useful, economical and stable article of manufacture which can be utilized as a carrier for the materials and provided with a dispenser which may be manipulated by partially withdrawing and returning the drawer. f

With the foregoing objects in view and others which will be detailed during the course of this description, my invention consists in the parts, features, elements and combinations thereof hereinafter described and claimed.

In order that my invention may be readily understood, I have provided drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the carton containing the drawer and tray, and hermetically sealed against air during sale and display thereof;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing my carton with the drawer pulled out and capable of thus dispensing the material, the ilap of the carton turned upwardly, but having the tray entirely covered by the carton so that the mode of delivery may not be disclosed;

Fig. 3 is a view in vertical, longitudinal sections of the carton, the tray and the drawer, the section being on the line 3-3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken through the carton and the drawer just below the tray, the section being the same as that of Fig, 3, but with the drawer shown drawn out and in elevation;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing in enlarged detail Ya part of the carton and drawer inverted and the drawer separated therefrom, the View showing the drawer ready to be dropped into the carton;

Fig. 6 is a detail View looking toward the rear of the carton or about the position of the drawer when the latter is entirely pushed inwardly;

Fig. '7 is a plan view of the blank from which the'carton is stamped or cut;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the blank from which the tray is formed;

Fig. 9 is a View of the tray made from the blank of Fig. 8; and

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the several blanks from which the drawer is made and showing the same before solidied into shape.

Referring to the drawings it will be noted that Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 show the device in its form such that it is durable and capable of de livering the contents of the carton which, in this instance may be coiTee, sugar, flour, or any powdered or granular material found suitable for the purpose.

In these figures the numeral l indicates the carton which, in this form of my invention, is made rectangular in cross-section as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The top of the carton is shown to be reinforced by the end pieces 2, 3, d and 5 (Fig. 7) and also by the end piece 6 which is folded into the body of the carton as presently described, and which is provided with glue, as are also the parts 2, 3, 4 and 5, so as to hold the carton in the rectangular form shown. In addition to having the form shown in Figs. 1 to -i inclusive, the carton is provided with a tray 8 for receiving the contents of the carton as said contents are fed downwardly little by little and outwardly by the drawer 9, located beneath the tray. The tray is provided with a slot lll in its bottom extending through the same, which regisers at times with the deep aperture Il formed through the drawer as clearly shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5. When the carton is filled and ready to be placed on the shelf of the store, it is provided with the flap I2 which is turned down over the front of the drawer and held folded down at the bottom of the carton by a strip of adhesive material or tape. In this condition, the contents of the carton may be sealed and prevented from escaping by the flap indicated at Fig. 1, and which also holds the contents of the material from contact with the air and prevents the ingress or admission of air or insects, as the case may be. When, however, the article is to be used the user slips a knife around and under the edges of the flap as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1 so as to free the flap and enable the user to turn it backwardly and upwardly on the crease line indicated at I3 in Fig. 2. The carton is now ready to be used and the contents thereof can beV readily seen through the sight-slot I4, which is covered witha transparency I5, such as Cellophane or other minor plastic material.

As shown, when the flap has been released on three sides and is folded back into the position of Fig. 2, the drawer may be withdrawn with reference to the tray and its contents and will dispense a predetermined quantity of material which has fallen through the slot I 0 in the tray and into the drawer or dispenser as shown in Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 3, the aperture I I of the drawer is made to register with the slot I0 of the tray through which latter the contents of the carton are automatically or gravitally fed. 'Ihe bottom of the carton is made of like pieces or sections 2a, 3a, 4a. and 5a, except that the piece 4a is slotted at 4b, so that its tongues 4c may be turned upwardly, thus providing a detent to hold the drawer in place when once placed, see Fig. 4, where it engages the receptacle I6 in the bottom of the drawer.

The tray shown in Figs. 8 and 9 is made of a single piece of material such as cardboard and is provided with an elongated slot I0 and with the end and side strips or tabs 20 capable of being f' folded toward each other so as to render the tray 8 stiff and capable of sustaining a considerable weight. The tabs are folded inwardly against each other so as to form a receptacle with the body of the material ofthe carton. Glue is then applied to the parts of the tray and this glue is allowed to firmly set so as to enable the same to act as a receptacle 8 for the contents of the carton. When the tray has been formed and set within the carton, the drawer is placed under the slot IU and is then capable of being manipulated so as to be drawn in and out, the outward movement being limited by the tongues 4c which are struck up from the end of the carton and which tongues automatically enter the detents in the ends of the drawer and thus hold the latter within the tray.

This drawer is made in accordance with the details shown in Figs. 3 and 10, and therefrom it will be noted that it is composed of several .parts or strips, each provided with an aperture eventually producing a slot Il, when the same are glued and solidified. Prior thereto a flexible tab IT is inserted between the two layers as indicated at X so that when the fiap I2 of the carton has been cut away the fiexible tab II will be in position so that it may be readily grasped as to manipulate the drawer. The tray when made as shown in Fig. 9 is provided with the end uprights and the bottom thereof and is provided with the slot I 0. 'I'he drawer is sustained in this position by the material of the carton which provides the detents and which is folded under the drawer upwardly against the latter, the several parts being folded into the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4 from the position shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Fig. 5 shows an enlarged detail of the various parts thus described.

The three parts of the carton, viz, the carton proper, or rectangular holding body-part, and the tray shown in Fig. 9 and in details in Figs. 5 and 8, and the drawer shown in detail in Fig. 4 and also in Figs. 3 and 10 are the three important elements of my device. When the bottom or tray and drawer are placed therein, the four flaps, Fig. '7, are folded over the drawer at the bottom of the carton, as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5.

When, however, the device is to be used the user slips his knife under the seal at the end of the carton, draws it across the end of the flap I2, around the front and also across the opposite end, whereupon the flap I2 may be turned upwardly and vertically and the device is ready for use. From time to time the flap may be turned downwardly so as to close over the front edge of the drawer, thus keeping the contents of the latter free from air and capable of retaining its aroma in the event it is used for coffee or spices.

As shown in Figs. l, 2 and 3, the user can see the contents of the carton through the inspection slit or transparency I5. As shown in the several figures, the carton is rectangular in shape; but may be made in other forms, if desired. As shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 10, the drawer or dispensing device 9 is shown made in several fiat pieces glued and pressed together; and at the same time that the several parts of the drawer are compressed together, the tab I'I is inserted and glued in place. When the parts are combined as shown in Fig. 3, the tab I'I is folded vertically and is out of the way. As shown in Figs. 2, 4, 5 and 7, the detents 4c are made integral with the bottom of the carton and when the bottom ends of the carton are folded over to seal both the drawer and tray in place the ends or detents 4c are placed in position in the notch I6, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The tray 8 with its slot I is placed in the carton with its bottom upwardly and its side anges 20 in place so that they may snugly t by springing outwardly into the bottom of the carton above the drawer. Various modifications may be made within the scopo of my invention and the latter is of such character as to need no further illustration.

When it is desired to dispense a tablespoonlul of coffee, for example, the drawer 9 may be fully drawn out, as shown in Fig. 4; but when it is desired to dispense less than a tablespoonful the drawer may be driven outwardly approximately half-way or proportionally so as to dispense the proper quantity. In fact, the top of the drawer or the side thereof may be calibrated so as to indicate the distance to which it may be drawn outwardly, to dispense the exact amount desired. In fact, when it is found that too much material has been withdrawn, it can be returned to the carton by depressing the flap I2, so as to cover the top of the aperture I, inverting the carton, returning the material to the bottom of the aperture II, and pushing the drawer inwardly with its contents thus held and allowing the contents to return to the carton through the slot IEB. During this operation the flap I 2 will be held in place against the drawer. The full contents may be withdrawn in measured quantities Without exposing any part of contents to the air, by depressing the llap l2, it being understood that at all times the slot l will be covered by the rear end of the drawer. As shown in Fig. 4 the slot I0 is closed and the flap I2 is raised with a tendency to return to lowered position.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A carton made of a single piece of flat and iiexible material and folded so as to form a receptacle, a tray of a form to receive the contents of the receptacle and arranged above the bottom of the said receptacle and adapted to receive the entire contents of the receptacle, and retain said contents above the bottom of the receptacle, said tray having an elongated slot therein in its bottom, and a dispenser sliding relatively to and under the tray and Within the receptacle and said dispenser being provided with an aperture adapted to deliver a part of the said contents of said tray, outside the receptacle, and cooperative means between the dispenser and bottom of the receptacle adapted to limit the sliding movement of the dispenser.

2. In combination with a carton having a tray at the bottom thereof, said tray being provided with an elongated delivery slot, and a dispenser having means adapting it to slide a limited extent relatively to the tray and to receive therein a portion of the contents held in the tray and dispense the same, and said dispenser being provided at one side with a flexible tab adapted to be bent out of sight and to be covered by a flap of the carton and adapted to cover the tab when not in use.

3. A carton adapted to hold a given quantity of material composed of a body portion, a tray near the bottom thereof, and a drawer held by the underlapped portions of the carton and composed of a plurality of strips of material solidified into a single drawer or device.

4. A carton composed of a single piece of material having like flaps at the top and at the bottom adapted to fold inwardly respectively upon each other, a fastening strip to hold the carton parts together, a tray supported within the carton near thebottom thereof, and a dispenser having means cooperative with the bottom of the carton whereby the dispenser may be held in place therein.

5. A carton composed of a single piece of material formed into a rectangular body portion, flaps foldable one upon the other at the top thereof and flaps foldable one upon the other at the bottom thereof, a fastening strip integral with the carton parts to hold the parts together, a tray set within said carton near its bottom, and a dispenser under the tray and above the bottom of the carton, and a means for closing an opening at the bottom of the carton and adjacent the dispenser, substantially as described.

6. A carton composed of a single piece of blank material, in combination with a tray and with a dispenser both Within the carton, the dispenser having means by which it may be withdrawn from the carton a variable distance, and a foldable flap for sealing said dispenser in place.

7. A carton composed of a single piece of blank material formed into a hollow chamber and having at its bottom a dispenser having an aperture therein, a tray set within the chamber of the carton above the dispenser and having a slot adapted to register with the aperture, and cooperative means between the carton and the dispenser by which the movement of the latter may be shifted a variable distance relatively to the carton and relatively to the tray.

8. A carton having at its bottom an unrestricted chamber, a dispenser adapted to slide without and within said chamber, and a flexible flap pivoted on the outside of said carton and adapted for closing said chamber, covering said dispenser and sealing the latter within the chamber.

9. A carton composed of a single piece of material having a plurality of flaps at its top and a plurality of flaps at its bottom, the respective sets of flaps being foldable the one upon the others, in combination with a tray composed of a single piece of material set within the carton near the bottom thereof, a drawer set under the tray and above the bottom of the carton, said drawer being made of a plurality of independent strips of material glued and solidified together, and a tab combined with said strips of material and foldable within the carton, and a ap adapted to be secured over the drawer at the base of the carton.

EMIL E. SIEFERT. 

